Maneet Chauhan Transcript
Jenna Sadhu:
Hi everyone. You're listening to Radio Cherry Bombe, and I'm Assistant Producer Jenna Sadhu, coming to you from San Francisco. Each week we feature interviews with the coolest culinary personalities around. If you're wondering where our usual host, Kerry Diamond is. She unfortunately came down with laryngitis and totally lost her voice, so I'm filling in. DM Kerry some virtual soup, and get well soon vibes. Today's episode features Chef Maneet Chauhan, a judge on Food Network's Chopped, cookbook author and Nashville restaurateur. Maneet stopped by Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center to chat with Kerry all about her culinary journey, what to eat at her restaurants, her brewery business, and her favorite holiday, Diwali which is the Festival of Lights celebrated by many around the world, including my family.
For those of you celebrating, Happy Diwali! Stay tuned for their conversation. A little housekeeping, our second annual Cooks & Books Festival is taking place at Ace Hotel, Brooklyn, the weekend of November 5th and 6th. Join us for talks, panels, and demos with amazing authors, chefs and bakers, many of whom you've heard here on Cherry Bombe like Ruth Reichl, Tanya Holland, Hetty McKinnon, and Erin French of The Lost Kitchen. Tickets and all-access passes are now on sale at cherrybombe.com. The Cooks & Books Festival is presented by our friends at Kerrygold. Now here's today's interview.
Kerry Diamond:
Maneet Chauhan, welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe.
Maneet Chauhan:
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
Kerry Diamond:
I am so excited that you're here. It has been a really long time since we've seen each other, and-
Maneet Chauhan:
Too long.
Kerry Diamond:
Too long... that we have to do an interview to catch up with each other. But hey, we get two things done. We catch up with each other, we bank an interview. All good.
Maneet Chauhan:
All good.
Kerry Diamond:
I know you're a big multi-tasker.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes, I am.
Kerry Diamond:
Yes. I try and fail. Like today was a big multi-tasking fail, but I'm not going to bore everybody with that. I don't think I have seen you since we did our book launch. Oh, no. Wait, I saw you at the Malai ice cream pop-up.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
So I have seen you.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
But I haven't seen you in Nashville, maybe since our cookbook launch. The Cherry Bombe cookbook launch.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes, that was the last time.
Kerry Diamond:
And that was five years ago. Because it's the five-year anniversary for our book.
Maneet Chauhan:
Five years.
Kerry Diamond:
Yes.
Maneet Chauhan:
Time flies.
Kerry Diamond:
Speaking of Nashville, how are things in Nashville?
Maneet Chauhan:
Things in Nashville are going good and crazy. The funny part about Nashville is that even when you were there, you must have seen the growth, and the growth hasn't stopped. The standing joke in Nashville is that, the city bird of Nashville is a crane, because wherever you turn, you see a crane. So it's an interesting place to be at. When we had opened our first restaurant, it was in a not-so-cool area, and now that entire place is booming. So we have a steady flow of customers, but the construction around us is distracting, so we take one step at a time.
Kerry Diamond:
I can imagine. And that has definitely been the case with Nashville. I mean, I'm sure people who've been in Nashville forever think that every year it gets crazier and crazier. But I've definitely seen the escalation. I guess I've been going for maybe 15 years or longer now.
Maneet Chauhan:
I mean, I moved there around eight years ago. The skyline has changed. That says, yeah, a lot.
Kerry Diamond:
So you mentioned a restaurant. You have a restaurant group called Morph Hospitality. How many restaurants and how many other businesses are part of Morph?
Maneet Chauhan:
Under Morph Hospitality, we have three restaurants, Chauhan Ale & Masala House, which is the OG [original], the Indian. Then we have Tánsuŏ, which is a Chinese restaurant, and Mockingbird, which is Americana. So that's under Morph. Other than that, we also have a brewery in Murfreesboro, which is south of Nashville. It's on around 83 acres of land. It's one of the largest-
Kerry Diamond:
83 acres?
Maneet Chauhan:
Yep.
Kerry Diamond:
That’s like all of New York City.
Maneet Chauhan:
Pretty much.
Kerry Diamond:
No, I'm kidding. It's not. But that's a lot of acres.
Maneet Chauhan:
That is a lot. But it's beautiful. You can see the rolling Tennessee Hills. We do a lot of contract brewing. We do craft brews. It's just, it's beautiful. We've also partnered with MTSU, which is the Middle Tennessee State University, and we teach their students fermentation.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, how interesting. When did this all happen?
Maneet Chauhan:
Oh my God, it's been happening for the last six, seven years. It actually was a really interesting venue, especially during COVID. We set up a large open outdoor stage, and a lot of people would come and perform over there.
Kerry Diamond:
And you have no shortage of musicians and artists down there.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes, I think that was also amazing because with COVID, not only the musicians, but everybody else that supports the musicians, they had to stop working. So it was a great way for them to get out and get a little bit of release to their creativity.
Kerry Diamond:
Are you serving food there?
Maneet Chauhan:
Not my food. So we get a lot of the local chefs, food truck owners, they come and they sell their food. So to us, it's also important to support the local community.
Kerry Diamond:
So you said you're doing private label, but you're also doing your own brews there?
Maneet Chauhan:
We have a craft brew ale, which is called Mantra Artisan Ales, that's the one which started it all. Then we have Steel Barrel, which is the everyday drinking beer. Then we have the Hummulus Project, which is an IPA [Indian Pale Ale] based brew line. So that's, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Wait, is that called the Hummulus?
Maneet Chauhan:
Hummulus.
Kerry Diamond:
Hummulus.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
How do you spell that hummulus?
Maneet Chauhan:
H-U-M-M-U-L-U-S.
Kerry Diamond:
Hummulus. Okay, so Hummulus, what does that mean?
Maneet Chauhan:
It means the clouds.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, okay.
Maneet Chauhan:
Maybe we had a lot of beer before we came up with names. So yeah, that's it.
Kerry Diamond:
Now, how did you wind up in this? Because there are not a lot of women in the brewery industry.
Maneet Chauhan:
So it was really interesting when we were opening Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Vivek [Deora], my husband and me, we are business partners. We started discussing about what our beverage program was going to be like. And especially with Indian food, there's always this confusion about beverage pairing. They're like, huh, okay, Indian food, let's pair it with really sweet wines. Let's do sweet Rieslings, let's do sweet Gewürztraminer, et cetera. And both of us, we looked at each other. We are like, no. Wine pairing is about enhancing the experience. It's not about drowning the experience. So the more we thought about it, we were like growing up in India, it was beers. IPA came about because of India. So why don't we look at doing a beer program?
So the initial idea was that we'll do a beer cocktail program, which has like shandys and micheladas, et cetera. But while we were discussing this, we're like, "Why don't we just take these beautiful spices we have and put them in our brews and brew with them?" And that's how it started. So lo and behold, the most expensive beer in the entire world, the Saffron Cardamom IPA, which was, I mean, that's an incredible beer. It's got-
Kerry Diamond:
Wait, you make the most expensive beer in the world?
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes. Saffron Cardamom IPA. The amount of saffron that goes into the beer. It's like you can see those tins of saffron going into the brew and you're like, oh.
Kerry Diamond:
Is it like drinking liquid gold?
Maneet Chauhan:
It pretty much is. Every time we take a sip, we're like cha ching cha ching cha ching!
Kerry Diamond:
I know distribution is funny with beer.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Because we have talked to a few women in the beer space over the years, and I'm always like, "Oh, I want to try your beer." And they're like, "Oh, we don't distribute in New York." What's your distribution radius?
Maneet Chauhan:
It's really interesting, when we started, before we started production, distribution was the first conversation that we had. The problem right now is that the local market pretty much absorbs everything that we have. So we've not even gotten into the distribution aspect of things, because we just don't feel the need to do that. So yeah, there isn't distribution in New York, to answer your question.
Kerry Diamond:
We have to introduce you to our friends at Talea. They own the only female-owned brewery and tap room in New York City.
Maneet Chauhan:
Oh, that would be amazing.
Kerry Diamond:
And they love a collab.
Maneet Chauhan:
Ooh, let's do something.
Kerry Diamond:
Absolutely. So we can at least try something you have a fingerprint in beer wise.
Maneet Chauhan:
Oh, that would be amazing.
Kerry Diamond:
Yeah, I'll do that. And then there's also, is it Bow & Arrow Brewing in New Mexico?
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes. Oh yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
The flavors were amazing, and they're putting just so much into these beers from a culinary perspective.
Maneet Chauhan:
It blows my mind. I think especially with brewing, there is such an interesting combination of science, art, and also the fact... Like I say, it's biology, it's going to the biology, physics, chemistry. Literally everything that we didn't want to study as kids in school, now I need to delve into that to make beers. And I'm like, "Yeah mom, dad, you were right. I should have studied harder."
Kerry Diamond:
That's funny. Well, super interesting. I want to go back to the restaurants because they're great restaurants. I've been to some of them with you. If I was in town for one... Well, I'm not going to make you pick one because that's like making you pick your favorite child.
Maneet Chauhan:
Oh, I have a very easy answer to that.
Kerry Diamond:
What's your answer?
Maneet Chauhan:
The fun part about the three restaurants are they're right next to each other. So I have friends coming all the time who are like, "Which places do I go to?" And what I do is I curate an experience for them. They start off at Chauhan appetizers. Entrée is at Tánsuŏ, and desserts is at Mockingbird, or vice versa. And you can literally travel the world in one block in one evening.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. So I have to ask you about the food, that sounds like the best night ever. Pick wherever we're going to start. What's the thing we'd order at each?
Maneet Chauhan:
Okay, so we'll start off at Chauhan. That as I always say is the OG. We've got to have the golgappa chaat. This is a take on traditional Indian street food. Semolina puffs, they almost look like ping-pong balls and they're hollow. Fill it with black garbanzo, tamarind, and potato. And then there is a mint cilantro water, which you pour it in the puff and eat it in a bite. Otherwise, you'll be wearing it. My mouth is watering just talking about it. This is best childhood memories in a bite.
The chicken tikka masala poutine, must have that, like it's so wrong that it's so right. There is a French onion naan that we have, which is incredible, the Nashville hot chicken pakoras. So that is our ode to Nashville. I think that is incredible. I'll probably say the entire menu.
Kerry Diamond:
I was just going to say it's the worst question to ask chefs, because they can never narrow it down to just one thing. Okay, let's jump to the next place.
Maneet Chauhan:
At Tánsuŏ, we've got this incredible lobster fried rice. We do an entire lobster in the shell on top of the fried rice. And I love Tánsuŏ because I love working on the wok. It's such a crazy amazing experience to do. Along with that, I would definitely do, I know it's not an entree, but we've got hot chicken dumplings. So we have dumplings which are filled with a hot chicken spice, and then we put a hot house made oil on top of it. So that's incredible. There is a Kung Pao cauliflower, which is, it's finished with some apricot. So it's got that sweet spice savory combination going on, gingery combination. That's incredible. Yeah, I think that's pretty much what we will do.
Desserts at Mockingbird, everything. I pretty much would do one of everything because Chef Brian [Riggenbach] over there is just incredible. He makes these chocolate chip cookies, which are his grandmom's recipes, and those chocolate chip cookies are as big as my face. The kids love it every time they're there. He makes these adult boozy milkshakes, and it changes on a regular basis. His pastry menu is changing, evolving, seasonal, just incredible.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh, it sounds so good. How did you become a chef?
Maneet Chauhan:
How did I become a chef? My mom jokes that I was born with a ladle in my hand. I have been so obsessed with cooking forever. I grew up in this really small town in India, in eastern India. My dad an engineer, my mom, a principal of a school. And the interesting part about this community where I grew up in were that they were people from all over India. Now each and every state in India has a very distinct cuisine of its own. So I grew up in a predominantly northern Indian household, Punjabi food, that's what my mom made. But my neighbors were from southern India, Andhra or eastern India, Kolkata, Bengal, Maharashtra, they were from all over.
So I was that obnoxious kid who would have dinner at home, run over to my neighbor's houses, tell them that my parents hadn't fed me, so can I eat with you? And that's how it started. I started off with me making a space for myself at their dining table. And then I would sneak into the kitchen and see the aunties cook. And I was that quintessential why kid, but why when it came to food. “Why are you heating the oil? What is this hing?” Which wasn't used in my household. Or “why are you grinding the spices on a stone grinder?” So it was really interesting for me.
Kerry Diamond:
Did the aunties embrace you or were they like, “Little Maneet, get out of here?”
Maneet Chauhan:
They loved me being there. The fun part was that, later on when we would have these parties, dinner parties, they would call up my parents and they're like, "Yeah, you guys come at 7:30 or something. Maneet, send her at 3:00 so that she could help us cook." And I loved it because it was like so my calling. But I think later on in life, I realized the reason why I loved cooking as much. My neighbor who was from Andhra, she couldn't speak Hindi or English, and I couldn't speak Telugu, the language that she spoke. We still spend hours together. And to me now being older, I realized why that was so special to me because it made me realize that food is the ultimate connector.
You don't need to have the same language, you don't need to have the same beliefs, but you can still connect over good food. So I think that was a profound realization for me as to why food. So that was it. Kids around me starting to be doctors, engineers, if you're thinking outside the box, maybe an accountant. And over here, I wanted to be a chef. Other parents who would come and tell my parents, "She's not that dumb. If she studies hard enough, she can become an engineer or a doctor." And they were like, "Back off."
Kerry Diamond:
So your parents were accepting of this?
Maneet Chauhan:
Very accepting. I mean they literally told me that, "You can do whatever you want, just make sure that you're the best at it. There's no place for mediocrity, give it your all." So that's what I did. I did my undergrad in India in hotel management. And then I asked one of my chef instructors, which was the best institute in the world to go to. And without even batting an eyelid, he said the Culinary Institute of America. So that's where I applied and I came here.
Kerry Diamond:
And lucky us, you arrived in New York, you headed up to the CIA. How was your experience there?
Maneet Chauhan:
It was amazing. I was the only Indian on campus for the majority of my time there. And the interesting part is still, that time I wanted to be a pastry chef, because in India you did not see the quality of pastries that you saw over here. And I used to read all of these pastry books and cakes, and lamination, and that was my obsession.
Kerry Diamond:
That's so interesting because a lot of women who've gone to CIA and who have followed the pastry path, told us that, that's kind of what they were pushed into because so many women were not encouraged to go the savory route.
Maneet Chauhan:
Exactly. But to me, it was the other way around. I have missed the memo on following the usual part. But the fun part was that when I was at the CIA, being the only Indian on campus for the majority of the time I was there, I was like, oh, I had just come from India. And I'm like, I took some of my friends to an Indian restaurant. And it was an $8.95 all you can eat buffet. And it was greasy, and it wasn't fresh. And to me, that was such an eye opening experience for me because I have grown up, and in India, we grew up with three fresh meals a day. Seasonal cooking, carrots. Especially, I remember red carrots available for only one month in the entire year, enjoy it or lose out and wait till the next year. I associate the smell of the first rainfall on the parched land with getting fresh lychees.
So those were the things. So the more I started looking into it, and I remember one of my friends, she's like, "We've got to go to a farmer's market." I'm like, "Okay, I'm really excited, what's a farmer's market?" And I go to a farmer's market and those were the only markets that we ever shopped in. I was more excited when my sister took me to, I think it was a Jewel-Osco, and I saw artichoke for the first time. And I'm like, "Oh my God." But to me, I think that's where the shift happened when I realized that I come from a country whose cuisine has such an incredible history. There are so many of these nuances. And if as a chef myself, I do not spread the word of the beauty of Indian cuisine, then shame on me.
Then when people have the perception that, oh my god, I've just had Indian food and I cannot eat anything for the next two days, shame on me that I did not work towards changing the perception of what it is. So I think that's where that entire switch happened, that I wanted to be the voice of the beauty of Indian food. It's happening now because there's so many people who have taken that voice, and we are now amplifying it because we are together amplifying it. But to me, it was like it's baby steps.
Kerry Diamond:
You were still very young at that point, that was a lot of pressure to put on yourself.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Early 20s?
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes, early 20s, yeah.
Kerry Diamond:
Did you think you would have your own restaurant one day? Was that the goal?
Maneet Chauhan:
I hoped to have a restaurant, but it was so interesting. I think when I look back at those times, I'm like, I try to recall what my goals were or what my lofty plans were. And somehow the only thing I can think of is living each day, giving my best each day, and putting one step in front of the other. And somehow that has worked for me because a lot of these opportunities just unfolded and came in front of me. And that has kind of worked. I saw those opportunities no matter how small they seemed. But I took those opportunities, and then it was up to me to make the best of it. So yeah, I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I did hope to have a restaurant.
Kerry Diamond:
But we hear so many different stories about culinary school. And you are making it sound like yours was very positive.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Despite the fact that you were the only Indian on campus, and I'm guessing the numbers of women on campus were still very low?
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes, at that time. I loved culinary school. Also think about it, right? I've come from India. India where when I was doing my externships in a kitchen of 70 to 80 men, I was the only girl. And people would be like, "You're 18, shouldn't your parents be worried about getting you married? And you hear it once, you hear it twice. Third time, I would turn, I'm like, "Do you have a good boy in mind?" And they're like, "Oh my God, that Chauhan girl is too smart for her own good." So there is a no-win situation.
So to me, coming over here was almost liberating because the threshold was so low when I was in India, that this seemed like freedom. But I also am a very strong believer in the world is the way you look at it. So to me, I volunteered for everything. I was that irritating Indian student sitting in the front row with a hand up for everything. So weekends were amazing, I would volunteer for the weddings. I mean you see how gorgeous CIA is, right? Imagine I was going to school right next to the Hudson Valley with this Jesuit Seminary. How beautiful is the entire setting? But also being surrounded for the first time with 2,000 other people who were as obsessed with food as I was. To me it was amazing. Not only was I the RA [resident assistant], I used to work till 12:00 in the night and then my bread class would start at 3:00 in the morning. I was on the judiciary board. I literally, I volunteered for everything and anything.
And that is why when I talk to kids now, and they're like, "What should we do?" I'm like, "Say yes to whatever opportunities that come your way because you don't know how that sometime later on in life is going to, oh, I'm so glad I did this, because this is what I learned from it." There is not a single thing that you do in life which doesn't teach you a lesson good or bad. And that is how you need to... I mean, I embrace life that way.
Kerry Diamond:
It's so funny, Maneet, because one of my questions later on, on the list of questions I'm looking at right now is just how you do everything that you do. Because just the little bit I know about you personally, you do a lot. You're a mom, you've got this amazing TV career we'll talk about, we talked about the restaurants, the brewery operation. And I'm always amazed. I'm like, “God, she's always cheerful. She's always just doing all these different things and traveling a ton.” And I was curious how you did it, and now I think I know you've just always been that way.
Maneet Chauhan:
Always been that way. I think it comes from a place of gratitude. I'm grateful for these opportunities and I just need to celebrate it. And it is, I think initially it was tougher, especially when I became a mom, because there is that constant guilt that you live with, you're not with the kids. I think the best way I have taught myself is the moment that you are in, live that moment, give it your 200%, and then move on to the next moment and give that. And that's how you will cherish the moment that you are in, not living in the past, not living in the future, this moment.
Kerry Diamond:
How do you deal with saying no?
Maneet Chauhan:
Very badly. Very badly. I think over the years what I have done is, I have surrounded myself with people who can say no for me because I do say yes to everything. And more often than not, I say yes before the people who are around me who can say no, can intervene, I'm like, "Yes, that's done." But you know what? I don't think I've ever regretted saying yes to anything because you do learn. I do get stretched a lot. But even in that entire stretching, there is that fun of learning something new.
Kerry Diamond:
Unlike you, I do think I regret some things I say yes to, but I say yes to a lot of things. Because maybe similar to you, I just feel like we kind of have one life... I mean, I know some people believe in other things regarding an afterlife, but I kind of believe we have one life to live, and how can you say no to amazing opportunities?
Maneet Chauhan:
I know. And you meet such incredible people. Recently, James Beard did this event in Mexico, and it was with Patrón and Tajin and I was like, "Yes, why not?" And not only did I learn so much, the people that I met just blew my mind. I'm like, it was incredible.
Kerry Diamond:
So curious about your TV career, because you have an incredible TV career that you have built for yourself. How did it come about?
Maneet Chauhan:
It's really interesting. It's been a very organic growth. So it literally started off with, I used to work at a restaurant in New York and the PR company put me for Iron Chef. This is the OG Iron Chef. I went up against Chef Morimoto. Iron Chef Morimoto, it's amazing. I'm like, what's going on over here? I'm this young chef, and I have seen all the Iron Chefs, and that's what I wanted to do. And I am going up against Chef Morimoto. I joke till date that I came a respectable second among two people. It's better than saying I lost. But I think that is what really opened a lot of doors for me. Because seeing me, I was invited to compete on the next Iron Chef. That was the season that Marc Forgione won. From there, Chopped had just started. So they invited me to be a guest judge, and the next season they invited me to be a permanent judge.
So it's like 13 to 14 years. And the interesting part is, in between, I was doing Chopped and that's all I was doing till the time I literally went and spoke to people at Food Network. I'm like, “Hey guys, I'm here. Do you know that I have a baking and pastry background?” And they're like, “what?” So that was another learning lesson that ask, because they're like, "We didn't know that you wanted to do more." So now because of that, there is all of the fun things which are coming about. The big thing I have found out about myself that I am a big competitive chef, which I never thought I was till the time I won the Tournament of Champions, which I'm like, “Oh, okay, great, so that's it.” I enjoy all different aspects, being behind the judging desk, being in front, competing.
Kerry Diamond:
I don't know if this is Instagram versus reality, but I feel like you are always filming.
Maneet Chauhan:
There is Instagram versus reality, no questions about it. But I am filming quite a lot. It's between Chopped and Triple G [Guy’s Grocery Games] and TOC [Tournament of Champions]. And again, can't say no. So anybody asks me, I'm like, “Yeah, why not?” Yeah, it's been fun. I feel grateful to have all of these opportunities that are coming my way.
Kerry Diamond:
And you seem to love to share a good before and after with hair, makeup, and wardrobe.
Maneet Chauhan:
I love doing that. And I think a lot of it has literally started after having my daughter. She's 11 right now. And I remember those times when you thought that you needed all of these ancillary, the clothes and the makeup, and the jewelry to make yourself look pretty. And to me, I tell her that it's very important. This is who I am, people need to see this, right? And a lot of people are like, especially in the comments, they're like, "Oh, beautiful regardless, before or after." And those are the things that I show my daughter. I'm like, "Listen, just be confident in who you are." I said, "I do most of my cooking reels in my pajamas with no makeup on. I'm comfortable with that. And that's how you need to be more comfortable." So after she's reached that age, I've started doing a little bit more of that.
Kerry Diamond:
One of the things I did like seeing during the pandemic was all the women in television who just started going without makeup, and hair and wearing regular clothes. And it was great. It was great to see them as they really are.
Maneet Chauhan:
I do think that the pandemic has given all of us the permission to be vulnerable. Because all of us went through... I mean, everybody has a story. There's not one person who got out of this without having a story or without being affected. And I do love that refreshing aspect that you don't always have to come across as being strong. It's okay to be vulnerable. It's okay to feel sad about the situation around you. And I think that leads to a lot of people taking the time to reach out, and say that you're not alone. And I think that's a very powerful thing to have.
Kerry Diamond:
Do you do all the filming in New York?
Maneet Chauhan:
No. So it really depends on which show it is. Chopped for a long time was filming in Knoxville, it just has moved back to New York. But then Guy's Grocery Games is in the West Coast, so it's all over.
Kerry Diamond:
It's all over.
Maneet Chauhan:
I have filmed in Utah. Wherever they ask you to show up, you show up.
Kerry Diamond:
Have they built a set in Nashville yet, so you can just be close to home?
Maneet Chauhan:
Working on it.
Kerry Diamond:
Okay. Okay. I'll cross my fingers for you.
Maneet Chauhan:
Fingers crossed.
Kerry Diamond:
One of the things you wanted to talk about on the show is Diwali.
Maneet Chauhan:
Yes.
Kerry Diamond:
Which is the Festival of Lights. I've been fortunate to be invited to a few Diwali parties by friends of mine, which I've been so grateful for because it wasn't a festival or a holiday I knew about growing up.
Maneet Chauhan:
Well, Diwali is to India what Christmas is to the rest of the world, right? It's just that sense of festivity, the sense of coming together, the sense of celebrating a year which has been incredible. And to me, Diwali, as a kid was something that I always looked forward to because not only did it involve some delicious food, which mom started cooking like days in advance, but the way the entire community looked or the city looked. Because it is like there are these lamps, oil lamps, which are put all over the house, all the houses are cleaned. There's the spring cleaning happening because the significance is that Diwali also celebrates Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth. So you show how you have the reverence for all the things that you've gotten over the years, especially silver, like cleaning silver. That's a big thing.
To me, this is becoming even more special right now, because people are taking interest in what are you doing? How is this happening? And we celebrate Christmas every year with gusto. People have started doing that, and that makes it so much fun. Because they are not only looking at what the fun aspect of Diwali is, be it the sparklers or the diyas, the lamps or these beautiful floor arrangements which I make with flowers, which are called rangolis, the food absolutely. There's that quintessential finish the evening with crazy Bollywood dancing. So that's amazing.
And especially now, again, with the kids, you want to carry those traditions, and we'll never be able to carry on the traditions that we celebrated when we were kids. But over here, it is carrying the foundation of what the traditions are, and putting our own twist and just passing that along. So I think that's fun. It's also the matter of taking pride of where you've come from and celebrating that. So yeah, those are the things which are very important to me.
Kerry Diamond:
So do you celebrate the first night with your family at home?
Maneet Chauhan:
If I get to celebrate the actual Diwali night with the family, that's huge. Because of travel, it is what it is. But we try to do as much as possible. The rest of the days might not be as big, but there's always a small Puja, which is a prayer, and there's always some kind of Prashad or dessert, which is made for the day. But the final day is where we go all out.
Kerry Diamond:
So what do you do with the family on the final day?
Maneet Chauhan:
We invite a lot of people. The whole house is decorated. There are lights, there are diyas, there's candles, new Indian clothes. I always joke that we look like Christmas trees that also lit because of the jewelry and the clothes. There is food which we prepare for days in advance. Friends come over, there's always mithais or Indian desserts that we exchange with each other. The Bollywood dancing. Did I mention Bollywood dancing? Yeah, I do have a problem with that. And just being together, just being grateful. It's like a boisterous, colorful Thanksgiving party, which is happening at home.
Kerry Diamond:
I love it. How similar or dissimilar is it to how you celebrated when you were a child?
Maneet Chauhan:
I think the foundation is the same. I think everything around has changed. The environment has changed, the food has changed, the decorations. And even with me, I have seen how I started off when we got our house eight years ago to right now, it just keeps on getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And Vivek keeps on telling me, he's like, "Whoa." I'm like, "Wait till next year." Because you get another idea and then you get something, you're like, okay, I'll have lights over here. So it's changed. I think it keeps getting grander by the year.
Kerry Diamond:
Now let's talk about the food. You mentioned there's the food your mom made, and then the food you make that you start making days in advance.
Maneet Chauhan:
So what mom used to make, every year there used to be shakarparas, which are flour crisps. They're almost in the shape of cubes. And then she would crystallize sugar around it. And this used to be always fried in ghee. So ghee is again, this prized clarified butter. And only on special occasions was so much ghee used. Then she would make a savory version of that, which were these thin crisps. They are almost like nachos. But then they would have fenugreek in it, and you would have it with Indian pickles. There always would be some form of kheer, which is a rice pudding. She would make like cashew fudge or barfis. And then every time, there would be a spicy goat curry along with sweet rice. And that was something which was incredible.
Dad would always go and buy samosas, and we would get all of these sweets from outside. So now what I've done is like samosas, I love samosas. The kids love chicken tikka masala. So I do chicken tikka masala samosas. Vivek is from Rajasthan, and they make a goat curry called laal maas. So I do the laal maas, which is his mom's recipe with the sweet rice that I grew up making. There is tandoori pomfret, jalebis, puris, and halwa. I mean you name it. And that table, that Diwali table is slightly obscene with the amount, like the kebabs and rack of lamb with Indian spices. Yeah, just incredible.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh my gosh, it sounds unbelievable. Can folks find any of these recipes in your cookbooks?
Maneet Chauhan:
Not specifically these recipes, but versions of these recipes. I always tell people whenever I give recipes that recipes should only be foundations and guidelines. You need to put your own signature and your own stories to make a recipe yours. So my book, Chaat, which is-
Kerry Diamond:
The most recent one.
Maneet Chauhan:
... the most recent one, there is a recipe for an aloo chaat, which is a potato chaat. But if you use that foundation and use those chutneys as a foundation and replace the potatoes with pumpkin, you can make it seasonal, you can put fruits in it. So again, put your own signature on it. So there are aspects of this entire menu which are in the book, how you take it and make it your own, makes a dish from being good to memorable or unforgettable.
Kerry Diamond:
If anyone is lucky enough to be in Nashville during Diwali, are the restaurants doing anything special?
Maneet Chauhan:
Oh, yes. The restaurants are definitely doing something special. But one of the things that I'm most excited about is that we are going to be doing a Diwali party with DJ, with henna artists. We are going to do stalls. We've actually asked Chef Vish [Vishwesh Bhatt] who's going to be our special guest who just wrote a cookbook. He's going to be doing a cookbook signing, he'll do a demo. So yeah, it's going to be a party.
Kerry Diamond:
Any other special projects?
Maneet Chauhan:
There is a special project which is happening. But I really can't tell you about this right now. It is something very exciting, I'm very excited about it. So keep an eye out. The announcements will be coming soon, but yeah, it's a childhood dream, which is about to come true.
Kerry Diamond:
I don't even know what it is and I am so happy for you. But maybe next year you can come back and talk about it, because you know we love seeing you and we love talking to you.
Maneet Chauhan:
I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Kerry Diamond:
Oh good. All right. Well, Maneet, always fun. I hope the next time I see you is, my butt is parked in one of your restaurants.
Maneet Chauhan:
Or dancing with me on the dance floor.
Kerry Diamond:
Exactly. All right, it's wonderful to see you. Thanks for coming by.
Maneet Chauhan:
Thank you so much.
Jenna Sadhu:
That's it for today's show. Thank you so much to Maneet Chauhan. If you want to keep up with all things Maneet, make sure you head to her Instagram @ManeetChauhan. And if you're in Nashville, stop by her restaurants. Don't forget our Cooks & Books Festival taking place November 5th and 6th at Ace Hotel, Brooklyn. The tickets are selling out fast, so don't delay. Learn more at cherrybombe.com. If you enjoyed this episode of Radio Cherry Bombe, check out past episodes with other food TV judges like Kristen Kish. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Radio Cherry Bombe is a production of Cherry Bombe Magazine, and our theme song is by the band Tralala. A big thank you to Joseph Hazan, studio engineer for Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center. And Kerry, I hope your voice recovers soon. And thanks to you for listening. You're the Bombe.